Ofcom is widely expected to recommend to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt that
News Corp's £8bn proposed bid for BSkyB is referred to the Competition
Commission.

The communications regulator will not make its report into the proposed takeover public, Ofcom sources told The Daily Telegraph. The regulator will tomorrow send its views to Mr Hunt, who will decide whether to refer the deal to the Commission by the end of January.

British Sky Broadcasting Group

Ofcom's report into media plurality will assess whether News Corp owning 100pc of BSkyB will have a disproportionate influence over the British media. It follows significant opposition to the deal from media rivals including the owners of The Guardian, Daily Mirror, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, and members of the public.

The proposed deal has provoked criticism from campaigning groups. Critics have reacted to the move to replace business secretary Vince Cable with Mr Hunt following Mr Cable's controversial comments on News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Campaigning organisation 38 Degrees said yesterday that more than 65,000 people had signed an "emergency petition" to the Coalition in the past week stating that "if Vince Cable isn't impartial, neither is Jeremy Hunt".

"The petition demands that the culture minister delivers Ofcom's report straight to the Competition Commission for a full-scale investigation, without political interference," said a spokesman.